Crazy4Flight

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A paraglider was flying along above Utah last Friday, about 75 feet high, when he encountered an airplane at his altitude ... which quickly became an unpleasant surprise. The remote-controlled airplane, with a 21-inch wingspan, dispensed enough force to disrupt the parafoil. The paraglider pilot, Wade Hutchinson, 31, of Wyoming, crashed on the side of a slope, but was spared serious injury. "That mountain helped break his fall," local police officer Clint Fackrell told the Salt Lake Tribune, referring to the angle of the terrain. The glider "folded up" on impact, according to the Tribune (not much of a surprise considering paraglider wings have no solid structural members). Hutchinson was flown to a hospital by helicopter, but his injuries were reported to be not life-threatening. more...> http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#193145

Shelby1

I wonder if the RC pilot was flying at an AMA field? If so would that put the paraglider pilot in a "restricted" airspace?

Chris

Dr1Driver

Shelby1,

An R/C field is NOT restricted airspace, I think. It's certaily not advisable for a full size plane to fly anythere close to R/C planes, but I don't think it's illegal. I also think it's always the R/C pilot's responsibility to avoid full size aircraft, not the other way around.

Dr.1

rjm1982

Full size-aircraft, maybe...but a paraglider...

Dr1Driver

A paraglider IS a full-size aircraft...a man-carrying airplane.

Dr.1

Troy-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Here's a first-hand account from the Club President to avoid the typical speculation that snowballs these threads into chair throwing, balls of confusion:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...27&postcount=9

jetmech05

An RC field is not restricted airspace.
I hope the paraglider came from the RC pilots blide side. Notice how this RC airplane had a 21 inch wingspan seems like another park flyer to me.
Bottom line is this if another aircraft invades your airspace YIELD Figure out later who was at fault.